Amanda Knox knows exactly what Joshua Libe is feeling now.
A senior at St. Cloud University in Minnesota, is considered one of the last people to see Sudiksha Konanki, a student at the University of Pittsburgh in the Dominican Republic, leaving the Caribbean country on March 19th.
Libe was drilled a hole in the resort of Lulepolika in Punta Cana under strict police surveillance for 11 days before a judge could determine that the situation violated Dominican law. The 22-year-old restrictions included the confiscation of mobile phones and passports.
Missing Americans in the Dominican Republic: What’s next for Joshua Libe, a witness after court ruling?
Joshua Libe will arrive at the courthouse in the Dominican Republic on March 18th with his father, Albert Libe. (Fox News Digital)
Riibe’s lawyers argued that police control over his moves over 11 days was illegal, not a suspect as a witness.
“I didn’t follow that case, but at first… how can I contact him?” Knox told Fox News Digital. “Because it’s not just a small quote that I give him… there’s a sense of urgency that he feels he feels.”
Joshua Libe is considered to be one of the last people to meet fellow student Sudiksha Conanki in the Dominican Republic. (Fox News Digital)
The mothers of two published a book, “Free: My Search for Meaning” on Tuesday. It tells the struggle of a 37-year-old who endured trying to reintegrate into society after nearly four years in an Italian prison. In it, Knox reflects things like searching for a life partner, finding a job, walking in front of people, and returning to a more normal life.
Amanda Knox, a married mother of two, is a criminal justice reform advocate and discusses how well-known cases can affect loved ones. (Lucien Knutesson)
Knox said she and his parents had wise advice when they tried to navigate the same fears she and her family had experienced.
“I absolutely recommend taking his time because I feel there’s a lot of pressure to turn him from the outside world into content,” she said.
The military seeks Sudiksha Konanki, a US-born University student at the University of Pittsburgh, who disappeared on the beach in Punta Cana, the Dominican Republic on March 10th. (AP Photo/FrancescoSpotorno)
“And to feel like he can go back to his life… After you’ve lost so much time, the last thing you want to hear is, “Take your time. Take things slowly. But that’s really true.
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Amanda Knox’s book, “Free: My Search for Meaning,” is currently available. (Grand Central Publishing)
“It’s going to be a long journey, whether it takes time or not,” Knox warned. “But really, to make sure he has enough space without going into survival mode is my first advice.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to Riibe’s attorneys for comment.
Sudiksha Konanki appears in the undated photos on her Tiktok profile. Conanki and five female friends traveled to the Dominican Republic for spring break on March 3rd. (@sudikshakonanki/tiktok)
Born in Seattle, Knox was a 20-year-old Perugia student studying abroad when her roommate Meredith Kercher was found stabbed and found in 2007. The 21-year-old was found in a cottage she shared with two Italian women.
Between 2007 and 2015, Amandanox spent nearly four years in an Italian prison and eight years in court for murders she had not committed. (Federico Zirilli/AFP via Getty Images)
The incident became a global headline as doubts quickly fell on Knox and her boyfriend, Rafaelle Solesito, just the day.
However, another man from the Ivory Coast, Rudy Herman Goede, was eventually convicted of murder after his DNA was found at the crime scene. The European Court of Human Rights ordered Italy to pay Knox’s damages for police failure, noting that she is vulnerable as an international student who is not fluent in Italian.
Amandanox (right) admitted the cheers of his supporters on October 4, 2011 when his mother, Edareras, comforted her in Seattle. (Stephen Brashear/Getty Images)
Knox returned to the United States in 2011 after being released by the Perugia Court of Appeals and established himself as a global campaigner for those who were misconducted. For many years, she has been trying to clear her name.
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British student Meredith Kercher was murdered in 2007. She was 21 years old. (Franco Origlia/Getty Images)
Today, Knox is a board member of The Innocence Center, a nonprofit law firm that seeks to free innocent people from prison. She also frequently discusses how she affects her loved ones on a podcast she hosts with her husband, Labyrinths.
Guede, 37, was released in 2021 after serving most of his 16-year sentence.
Amandanox will be attending an appeal hearing at the Perugia Court of Appeals held in Perugia, Italy on September 30, 2011. (Oli Scarff/Getty Images)
The Libe is believed to be among the last people to see the 20-year-old Conanki before disappearing from the beach behind the resort in the early hours of March 6th. Students were visiting the Caribbean country for spring break with friends.
Seen here in the courts of the Dominican Republic, Joshua Libe has worked with law enforcement. (Greg Wehner/Fox News Digital)
According to a transcript of an interview with prosecutors, Libe told police he was drinking with Conanki on the beach and kissing at the sea when they were caught in the present. Libe said he was a former lifeguard and helped her take her to track and field.
Libe told investigators that he vomited when he arrived at the beach and that Conanki told him he would get his own. When he looked up, she was gone. Libe said he was surprised to hear her disappearance.
Watch: parents of missing student sudiksha konanki fully believes in accidental drows
Conanki’s parents, Subbarayudu and Sreedevi Konanki, asked Dominican authorities to declare their daughter legally dead. In the letter they said after a massive search, local authorities believed that their daughter had owned.
Sudiksha Konanki on Facebook selfie. The 20-year-old junior at the University of Pittsburgh has been missing since March 6th. She disappeared during a spring break trip to a five-star resort in Punta Cana, the Dominican Republic. (Sudiksha konanki/facebook)
Libe was faced with scrutiny, but he was not appointed as a suspect in the case. Following the trial over five hours, Judge Edwin Liho ruled that Libes, classified as witnesses, should have full rights under Dominican law and unlimited freedom of movement.
Michael Chapman, Sheriff of Loudoun County, Virginia, where Conankis lives, said in a statement that authorities are working with Dominican authorities and are continuing to review evidence in the case.
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Sudiksha Konanki’s parents are seen making statements after the loss of their daughter. They believe that the student owned. (FOX 5 DC)
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“Sudiksha konanki’s loss of disappearance is tragic and I can’t imagine the sadness her family is feeling,” he said. “Sudiksha’s family has expressed their belief that she owns and has died. The final decision to make such a declaration depends on the authorities of the Dominican Republic, but we will support the Conanki family in every way possible.”
Greg Wehner, Bryan Llenas, Mara Robles, Michael Ruiz and the Associated Press of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.
